Skins Get Thursday Season Opener Against Giants

Jason Reid has confirmed that the Redskins and New York Giants will play in the NFL season opener Thursday (Sept. 4) at Giants Stadium. An official announcement is expected to come Monday at the annual owners' meetings in Florida.
Note from the earlier posts that the NFL is considering changing the starting time of this game to 7 p.m., rather than 8:30, because that is the final night of the Republican Convention.

You guys will totes reach 200k by kickoff. You're at 175,848. I figure there'll be a Hall of Fame bump that should boost numbers through the late June doldrums. And, because of that HOF game, training camp will start a week earlier, so you'll have that going for you.

You guys will totes reach 200k by kickoff. You're at 175,848. I figure there'll be a Hall of Fame bump that should boost numbers through the late June doldrums. And, because of that HOF game, training camp will start a week earlier, so you'll have that going for you.

Why did the Redskins lose to the Patriots 52-7, when the Giants beat this same team 38-35 in the Super Bowl. Considering the Skins were competitive against the Giants during the regular season, how does one account for this disparity? Is this simply about match ups?

If you believe that the true measure of a team takes place when you compete against the best, why did the Redskins get waxed by the Patriots in week 8 of 2007? That was embarrassing; getting hazed by a Pats fan at the bar where I was watching the game because I was foolish enough to suggest it would be a good one. The Pats fan looked at me and said two words:

Blow out.

What troubles me is that the Redskins have done nothing to improve their roster in the interim, while divisional rivals like the Eagles have (see Asante Samuel.)

You're right, Stumped. There's no blog precedent for beating a dead horse....I do think podspeak raises a good point. I think getting Asante Samuel was a really good move for Philly. And if Dallas manages to get Pacman Jones, I think that could be smart.

Good point about the offensive line issues for the Redskins, however, losing by 45 points to the Pats and hanging tight with the Giants is still bizarre.

I seem to remember us getting zero pressure against Tom Brady, but shaking up Eli Manning pretty good, notably in the week 3 loss, which leads me to believe that our MOST pressing need is a pass rushing DE.

Had we gotten Asante Samuel, we could have scratched one need from our list heading into draft day, freeing us up to address other glaring areas of weakness.

we've already got the pre-season opener in the HOF game, now we get to open the regular season too? this game is HUGE:

This is nfl season opener against the defending superbowl champs, our division rivals, in prime time on national telivision. We have a new head coach and no one is going to give us a chance.

I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but I think this game will determine whether zorn succeeds or fails as our head coach. momentum is everything. If we can somehow beat the Giants on thursday night in front of the entire nation, its going to carry us through the season.

I seriously think that knowing this is how we open the season is going to affect the draft. we are going to determine the gints weaknesses, and use our higher draft picks on positions of need which exploit their weaknesses.

on a side note, this is the first time in a while we havent opened the season at home i beleive we always got home openers under gibbs. :-(

we've already got the pre-season opener in the HOF game, now we get to open the regular season too? this game is HUGE:

This is nfl season opener against the defending superbowl champs, our division rivals, in prime time on national telivision. We have a new head coach and no one is going to give us a chance.

I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but I think this game will determine whether zorn succeeds or fails as our head coach. momentum is everything. If we can somehow beat the Giants on thursday night in front of the entire nation, its going to carry us through the season.

I seriously think that knowing this is how we open the season is going to affect the draft. we are going to determine the gints weaknesses, and use our higher draft picks on positions of need which exploit their weaknesses.

on a side note, this is the first time in a while we havent opened the season at home i beleive we always got home openers under gibbs. :-(

Looks to me like the NFL was trying to feed the Christians to the lions. (We are the Christians in this scenario). Why would they schedule the opener for a team with a new coach with a new system against the SB champs on the road? The league knows full well that we will be inexperienced in our new offense going up against that NY pass rush. I think it's a case of the league showcasing and placating the city of NY (even though they play in NJ). It's been said for years that when NY teams do well, the leagues(s) do well. If we go up there and kick their azzes, it would be the best Skins game I've seen in years. As big a fan as I am, I'm not optimistic.

Okay, true story, before this post I was wondering who the Giants might play in the opener.

Since they're NFC East I thought, what if it were the Redskins? Then I thought about it: the Super Bowl Champions against the Redskins, naaah, with a new head coach and a new offense, they'd never do that...

Evidently, in addition to Corners and Linemen, the Redskins are also scouting..... Running Backs? That's right, the Redskins have a workout scheduled with a fairly highly ranked running back next month.

A league source has told Viking Update's Tim Yotter that amongst the teams Texas Running Back Jamaal Charles is set to work out for, the Redskins are in the mix.

This source confirmed that the Redskins have a workout scheduled for Jamaal on April 16th and 17th.

Well, one can certainly understand a team doing it's due diligence in preparation for the draft. No harm in that. Most teams probably interview and work out a bunch of players before the draft.

But a Running Back?

Is this simply due diligence, or is there more to this story? Are they scouting a Running Back for a reason?

What we do know is that the Redskins have Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Marcus Mason, Eric Shelton and recently re-signed Rock Cartwright already under contract.

So why would the Redskins even need to draft a Running Back? I guess you could argue that they need one for camp and for depth.

But if it is just for depth, why would the Redskins be looking at Jamaal, who is ranked the 4th best Running Back in this draft by Scout.com?

One could argue that Jamaal is probably going to go in the first or second round somewhere. Teams usually don't just look for depth and camp fodder in the first two rounds of the draft.

So the question is, is this guy being looked at as a real possibility for something, is this going to be a depth type of pick, or is this just the Redskins working out whoever is willing to work out?

How depressing! Talk about pressure on the new coach....and having to play in the Meadowlands!

Posted by: Lisa_R | March 26, 2008 06:46 PM

No Doubt! The Gnats at home are always a tough divisional challenge... But I suspect the Skins undocumented offense will have the advantage of surprise -- if properly executed in the game and hidden during preseason.

I agree that there is very little reason to expect that we can beat either of the teams that played in this past years Superbowl in the upcoming season. Can we argue that we are better without SeanTay, Rogers, MacIntosh? No we are likely to be far worse on defense, the already patchwork line and secondary and linebackers all loaded with injuries and age. The Superbowl is unreachable. NFC title challenge is unreachable. NFC East title unreachable. Dan realizes this. He is now saving his money. Saving far more money than required for signing draft picks.

Dallas and Philly seem to be serious about improving. I start to get the feeling that we might be the Cardinals of the NFC east for next few years. Dan, having swallowed losses in other areas of his business and perhaps in the stock market may become the Bill Bidwell, Abe Pollin, Peter Angelos sort of owner that sponges up money from teh fan base without ever really contending for a title.

wow DownTown, you sure are the optimist!!! We did beat both Dallas and NYG without Rocky, Rogers or Sean Taylor late last season. Beat 'em both pretty badly.

But I think you are more likely to be right. Casting aside GG was a huge mistake and this team will struggle as it learns a new offense. Is Danny another Bidwell sort? I afraid he is. Though he'll spend the $$$, its still about Danny and not enough about respect for others.

sorry podspeak....i like flying under the radar early, gaining some gritty wins without notice and building an identity...not some opening night hoopla with airplanes and fireworks and salutes to our heroes and jints ring ceremonies...

Hats off to my Wahoos for losing to the Bradley Braves tonight, avoiding the ignominy of playing in the freaking College Basketball Invitational best-of-three finals. A really heartfelt round of golf claps for putting a stop to this madness.

Feel so dirty just to have participated in this nothing tournament. Utterly embarrassing.

Make no mistake, the Skins are being set up as the sacrificial lamb in this NYC lovefest combined with patriotic wankfest. Could have been any team on the calendar, and they pick us, with our rookie head coach. To hell with it. I'm still voting for the ol' punch in the mouth trick.

Here are the results of the season-opening Thursday nighters thus far. Bad omen: defending Super Bowl champs have a perfect record. Good omens: we won the only one we appeared in (the "Jetskins" game), and the Giants lost the only one they appeared in, in their building, no less.

I'll join you with a beer in a couple of hours Nate! I've recently rejoined the ranks of the RI Bachelors, and will enjoy a drunk blog session. Has anyone seen Periculum around? I need some dating tips!

podspeak, thanks for the offer mate, I'll be right. Periculum is a poster from way back who didn't always make much sense. Well to me anyway. At one stage he was advising Diddy on dating, and it lost me. One of his gems was from last pre-season, he was saying we should trade for Priest Holmes and make him a WR.

For those of you calling the Skins "sacrificial lambs" in this game must be new to football. These teams aren't as far apart as you'd think. The Giants only finished ONE game better than the Skins in the standings, and the Skins handed the Giants their asses in the Meadowlands at the end of last season with BOTH teams vying for the playoffs.

This is the NFC East. We're always paying attention to this division anyway, but because of the high profile nature of the teams in this division (all 4 are considered big market teams), NFC East games DO hold national appeal. And you can be sure at least one NFC East matchup will be on Monday night football AND Sunday night football. I think it's a legit scheduling.

I don't have a problem, but maybe its because I am too young to realize that this is a problem. I think I understand the background info to a point, but I do not feel I should be outraged. So, I wanted to gather everyone else's historical opinion (especially if you're over 50) to see if I need to change mine. Thanks in advance......

There is nothing wrong with that cover people in this country need to stop crying about every little thing. So he is dressed like a guy going to play a pickup game, who cares. Whith all the crap going in this county, I think that worrying about the cover of Vogue magazine which no man reads anyway is just stupid.

I got an idea if you want to worry or get upset about something, how about the 4,000 American men and women who have lost there lives in Iraq for no apparent reason.

4th I was not aiming that towards you, I understand you were just asking a ?

You're right. No need to fear the Giants. I think they'll be right back where they belong: 8-8 with Eli Gump getting trashed in the NY media.

And I'm too lazy to go back and see who said it, but to compare Danny to the Bidwells is laughable. Danny is the antithesis of the crappy Cardinal and Bengal ownerships. Danny's failures haven't come from a lack of effort, theirs have.

And let Satan's Team--I mean, the Cowboys--get Pacman. Those guys have been collecting turds since that jackass Jerry Jones bought the team. I saw Skip Bayless (another jackass) say that there's more strip clubs in Dallas than in Nashville and if you think Pacman's gonna stop "makin' it rain", you're mistaken. Pacman and T.O. will destroy them from the inside out.

Lots of optimists here. Thats good. I would be confident going into NJ if we hadn't changed offensive staffs and philosophies. Even if we had Hasselbeck running the show in Game 1, we still have to get our linemen, wr, and rb on board. I don't know that playing one of the best DL's in the league is going to be the best way to start out the season. If we really want o feel confident about this game, we have to make these assumptions: Every key player on offense is healthy for game 1 and has been healthy during preseason. Jason and the WR pick up the offense and are on the same page. The OL and RB's pick up the protection schemes in this new offense. The offense even worksin the first place. Remember, Zorn has never designed an offense. He's putting the playbook together based on what he ran in Seattle. I'm sure he's changing some things and adding wrinkles so that we're not duplicating Seattle completely. Who knows if it'll work?
Hey, I love my Skins whether they are 14-2 or 3-13 but I feel like we're being set up.

Not sure what you were watching last year but our offense sucked, and I am referring to the play calling not the players. I will take Zorn's offense over that crap any day. I'm not sure if you heard the players on offense say how they love the new offense, and believe it will be alot more open then what they have had the last 2 years. Most offenses in the NFL are the same anyway, just terminology changes and I am going by what players have said on that, since I have no idea myself.

I'm not necessarily saying I think the Skins will win. I'm just saying they're not a "sacrificial lamb" like some were saying and that the Giants aren't an almighty team. They might just be the WORST Super Bowl team I've ever seen, actually. And the fact that it's a division foe--those games can go either way most of the time.

However, your reasoning is sound. Change in philosophy requires patience the first couple of games because of the adjustments involved. But then again, the last two times the Skins changed coaches they won their season openers. I figure if the clueless Steve Spurrier can win his first game, so can Zorn.

I agree with the thought that we can surprise the giants and knock their teeth out, but I also agree that the league has us set up for patsies......I am no conspiracy theorist, but the league seems to do whatever it can to help the Giants along. They gave them an extra home game against the Saints, their game in London was "surprisingly" counted as an away game (Dolphins had to take it as a home game), and refs calls seem to go their way more than most (with the exception of Vince Young "breaking out" of a sack last year). How many drug tests did LT fail, yet still helped lead them to their 2 superbowls under Parcells? Eli Manning says he refuses to play for the Chargers if they draft him; did the league take any action? Not if it means he goes to the Giants.......

Anyway, who knows what the league has in store in order to help them this year; we'll see. But go figure, they get the Seahawks in NJ, and we have to go to Seatlle again. Hate to admit it, but teams really hate playing in Seattle. Don't let them jacka$$ 12th man idiots hear that I said that though.

I think we are going to have a really goood year this year. I know you guys will thinks its just wishfull thinking, but expect nothing less than 10-6, minimum. This is a team with a rising QB, one of the best RB's in the league, top 10 D last year and we are getting back the right side of our o line.

Think about it, Every game we lost last year (Minust Pats gm) was within 8 points, one score. With a young QB, those close losses in the first year usually turn into close wins the next. Im just putting it out there that i wouldnt be surprised to win more than ten games. We can beat any team in the NFL, maybe not the pats, but they are getting older and lost Samuel.

This isn't the NBA. There's not a conspiracy. Sometimes things just break your way. And the Giants were just good enough to take advantage.

The Seattle thing is just puzzling. There's a set rotation for who plays who and where. I can't even remember the last time we played Seattle in Seattle during the regular season. The last 3 or so times we've played Seattle in the regular season it's been at FedEx. You must be thinking of the playoff games.

The only thing I agree with you on (and the only thing you didn't sound like Adrian Monk about) is "let's kick the snot out of them".

That was all tongue in cheek of course.
Adrian Monk is the most brilliant detective ever. EVER.
NBA conspiracy?

Having said that, Eli is the biggest NFL pu$$y since John Elway refusing to play for the colts. F both of them.
and I would love to see how Goodell would handle LT if he were playing today......that would be fun.

No thanks on Pacman, and I'm not worried if he goes to a team in the NFC East either. Is he a good player, no doubt. Only problem is, ask the Titans how good he played for them last year? Oh yeah, he was suspended for the season. How effective is he going to be when he's suspended for the Cowboys. The old saying a leopard can't change is spots rings true. If trouble didn't make its way to pac, then pac would make his way to trouble.

jm, haven't heard from you in a while, welcome back, hope all is well.

Groves at 21 would be a big reach. Albert if he's still available would be the choice if it were up to me.

km, agreed about the cover. Not sure what the outrage is about. The people whom are upset about this should ask Lebron if he's upset, I mean after all he posed for, and probably got paid for the cover shot. Was it done against his will? Did he not approve of it?? If Lebron comes out and say's that he was pressured into doing the shoot in that manner, then sure, I have a problem with the cover. But he hasn't, and he wont.

Kerz, you're a big Hardy backer. I like that you're sticking by your guy. I could see him being a second rounder. Albert, Thomas, Otah, are the guys that I'd take at 21. Harvey too, but he'll be gone.

I think the Skins should at least check into trading for Pacman. It's hard to find a CB of his talent. Worst case is that they bid his price up... preventing the Cows from getting him for basically nothing. I'd trade a fifth for him, and cut him w/o hesitation if need be. He's worth a small gamble... when he's on the field, he's an electrifying player. The history of the NFL is rife with examples of questionable characters becoming great players. Skins need to be a high character team but not all players have to be alter boys.

For what's it worth, Zorn was at the Wizards/Sonics game last night (in Seattle...why was he not in DC working on the playbook? :)

Steve Buckhantz (Wizards announcer) mentioned our new PR director, Zack Bolno (currently with the Wizards) and the screen flashed to Bolno. He's really young looking. Buckhantz said we have an excellent new PR Director.

This isn't the NBA. There's not a conspiracy. Sometimes things just break your way. And the Giants were just good enough to take advantage.

The Seattle thing is just puzzling. There's a set rotation for who plays who and where. I can't even remember the last time we played Seattle in Seattle during the regular season. The last 3 or so times we've played Seattle in the regular season it's been at FedEx. You must be thinking of the playoff games.

The only thing I agree with you on (and the only thing you didn't sound like Adrian Monk about) is "let's kick the snot out of them".

Posted by: brownwood26 | March 27, 2008 08:26 AM

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Not even close to accurate on the Seahawks thing. 3 out of the last 4 (including playoffs) have been in Seattle. We played them at home 3 seasons ago and prior to that we played them on the road during the Spurrier era. This was when they played on campus at the Univ Wash. We won that game on the ground with Ladell Betts leading the way.

No thanks, he is not worth the risk, plus he has been out a year it will take him a while to get back in football shape. He has not even been reinstated yet anyway so this could all be for not. DC is no place for a guy that likes strip clubs.

Good Morning Nation's Capital-Superbowl Champion Giant fan here again....what a nice surprise to open the season vs. the Skins and get an up close and personal look at this brilliant head coach hiring...I still cannot stop laughing how the fans get to choose the coach down there...you guys really missed your guy in Fassel....have a nice summer and see you on Sept. 4

Thanks for the Feedback on my quuestion. I was just hoping we moved beyond certsain aspects of race in 2008 (Biracial Photos/couples/etc...). Though I know that this Obama/Hillary issue is bringing it back to the forefront.....

BTW, per Obama's tax return, me and him tithed at about the same amount, AND HE WAS A SENATOR! That was weird when I read it.......

I am down with Albert unless Harvey falls to 21(LOL), so like I said I am down with Albert. CB is the deepest position in the draft, so we could get a corner in the 3rd with one of our two picks(Hopefully).

gregf, nice try, but you can do better than that. In fact, I encourage you to do better than that.

We need a resident Giants fan up here. We have a Cowboys fan and an Eagles fan, and they "get it," they dig the discourse up here and they play nice, without in any way compromising their fanhood. In fact, it's great to get their perspective on the Skins as non-fans. (We also have a resident Dolphins fan, but he's kind of an enigma.)

And through the past few seasons we've had drive-bys where fans of other teams have hung around before a specific game, like, I think, a Packer fan who was in the mix for a few weeks. And a Seahawk fan who jawed with us before the playoff game.

So I guess what I'm saying is, gregf, maybe you want to stick around and be our man on the Giants beat.

DORSEY HAS SOLID WORKOUT
Posted by Mike Florio on March 27, 2008, 10:26 a.m.
As teams selecting below the first few picks in next month's draft likely are hoping that one or more of the rumors regarding the health of defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey will take sufficient root to allow his name to still be on the board when they get their turn to turn in a card, Dorsey disappointed them by churning out an impressive Pro Day workout on Wednesday, according to Frank Tadych of NFL.com.

Dorsey reportedly ran the 40 in 5.13 and 5.15 seconds, managed 27 reps in the 225-pound bench press, and showed off a vertical leap of 25.5 inches.

"I feel great," said Dorsey. "I feel like I came out and did well today, I gave it my all. They wanted to see what I had."

"I saw Glenn Dorsey do what I expected him to do,"NFL Network draft anaylyst Mike Mayock said. "The most important thing for him was to just to show everybody that medically he's OK. He was explosive and quick."

With the NFL fully cognizant of the value of a strong defensive line, thanks to the Giants manhandling of the Patriots' blockers in the playoffs, the rumors and whispers regarding Dorsey's health likely won't be enough to get him to slide. Though plenty of defensive tackles have been drafted in the upper echelon over the past decade, Dorsey arguably has generated the most buzz at the position since Warren Sapp in 1995.

And there likely were more than a few teams that regretted allowing rumors of a positive marijuana test to keep them from drafting Sapp, who fell to No. 12 before being picked by the Bucs.

I know who Albert, Nelson, and Groves are, but who are the other dudes? what positions do they play? And are you just listing their names, or also indicating them in order of preference (i.e. Nelson/Groves means Nelson is your first choice for our 2nd rounder and Groves is your #2)?

LSU (March 26)
All 32 teams were on hand, with more than 100 NFL people in total. Among them were head coaches Herman Edwards and Mike Tomlin, plus front office execs Carl Peterson, Jerry Reese, Mickey Loomis, Billy Devaney, and Tony Softli. Prospects ran indoors on Field Turf.

Â» DL Glenn Dorsey (6-1 Â¾, 297): Ran the 40 in 5.13 and 5.12, had a 25 Â½-inch vertical jump, 8-foot, 4-inch long jump, 4.80 short shuttle, 7.52 cone drill, and ran position drills. Scouts like his long arms, which measured 35 Â¼ inches. Former NFL player Tim Krumrie ran the workout and he has a reputation of running lineman pretty hard... but he couldn't break Dorsey, who looked very good.

Â» WR Early Doucet (6-0, 203): Ran the 40 in 4.59, 4.64 and 4.69, had a 34 Â½-inch vertical jump, 7.34 cone drill, ran position drills and kept everything else from the combine. Had a very good workout.

Â» LB Arlington Highsmith (6-0, 221): Ran the 40 in 4.87, 4.72 and 4.70, had a 29-inch vertical jump, 23 reps in the bench press, ran position drills and kept everything else from the combine.

Â» QB Matt Flynn (6-2, 229): Kept all numbers from the combine, ran position drills and looked very good throwing the ball.

Â» RB Jacob Hester (5-11 1/8, 225): Had a 29-inch vertical jump, ran position drills and kept everything else from the combine. Caught the ball well in workouts.

Â» DB Jonathan Zenon (5-11 Â¾,, 185): Ran the 40 in 4.62 and 4.54, had a 37-inch vertical jump, ran position drills and kept everything else from the combine (but he did not do the bench press in Indianapolis due to an injury.)

Â» S Craig Steltz (6-1 3/8, 210): Had a 35-inch vertical jump. Had 10 reps in the bench press and could have done more but he injured his right shoulder. He did not work out at the combine, so there are no other numbers for him.

Â» CB Chevis Jackson (6-0 1/8, 192): Ran the 40 in 4.57 and 4.58, had a 40-inch vertical jump, ran position drills and kept everything else from the combine.

Mississippi State (March 25)
Ten teams were present to see 10 players work out, indoors on Field Turf.

Appalachian State (March 25)
Twenty teams were present as conditions were cold (37 degrees) with a cross wind at the outdoor facility with Field Turf.

Â» WR Dexter Jackson (5-9Â¼, 179): Had a 30Â½-inch veritcal jump, 4.15 short shuttle, 6.96 cone drill, 11 reps in the bench press, ran position drills and kept his number from the combine.

Â» DB Corey Lynch (6-0 3/8, 202): Ran the 40 in 4.58 and 4.60, had a 9-foot, 3-inch long jump, 3.99 short shuttle (the first under four seconds this spring), 6.71 cone drill, ran position drills and did 13 reps on the bench press. He was very good.

Arkansas (March 25)
With very windy conditions outside, workouts were forced indoors on field turf. Twenty-six teams were on hand, including Bears head coach Lovie Smith and coaches from the Packers, Panthers, Rams and Jets.

Â» RB Darren McFadden (6-1Â¼, 215): Had a 35Â½-inch vertical jump, 4.10 short shuttle, 6.86 cone drills, 13 reps in the bench press and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else. He had a good workout and did a good job of answering questions for the teams in attendance.

Â» RB Felix Jones (5-10 1/8, 210): Had a 34Â½-inch vertical jump, 13 reps in the bench press, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else. He caught the ball well.

Â» DB Matterral Richardson (5-11, 195): Ran the 40 in 4.52 and 4.49 and did position drills. He was late for the start of the event and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else.

Â» DL Marcus Harrison (6-2Â¾, 312): Had a 29-inch vertical jump, 9-foot long jump, 4.54 short shuttle, 7.55 cone drills, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else.

Â» RB Peyton Hillis (6-1, 237): Ran the 40 in 4.57 and 4.58, had a 35-inch vertical jump, 4.24 short shuttle, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else. He looked good but dropped several passes.

Â» DB Michael Grant (6-1Â¼, 193): Had a 36-inch vertical jump, 9-foot 10-inch long jump, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else.

Â» OL Robert Felton (6-3 5/8;, 322): Ran the 40 in 5.28 and 5.29, had a 4.88 short shuttle, 7.91 cone drills, and ran position drills. He was late for the start of the event and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else.

Â» WR Marcus Monk (6-4Â¼, 215): Ran the 40 in 4.43 and 4.41, had a 36-inch vertical jump, 10-foot 2-inch long jump, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else.

Pittsburgh (March 24)
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was among the representatives from 20 teams in attendance to see nine players work out. With potential first-round OL Jeff Otah among the group, there were six NFL OL coaches in attendance, including those from Pittsburgh, Carolina, Arizona, and Kansas City. Prospects worked out under an outdoor bubble, on Field Turf.

Â» OL Jeff Otah (6-5 7/8, 322): Otah was present but he did not work out. He will have a private workout in Pittsburgh on April 9.

Â» TE Darrell Strong (6-4, 261): Ran the 40 in 4.80 and 4.76, had a 34 Â½-inch vertical jump, 4.21 short shuttle, 18 reps in the bench press, ran position drills and kept other numbers from the combine.

Â» OL Mike McGlynn (6-4 Â½, 322): McGlynn was present but did not work out. He will join Otah for the private workout on April 9.

Louisville (March 24)
There were 24 teams on hand to see QB Brian Brohm and 11 other players work out. Panthers QB coach Geep Chryst was among those on hand to see Brohm -- whose brother, Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, ran the passing workouts. The Ravens, who were represented by Hue Jackson, will also have a private workout scheduled for Brohm. The workouts were moved indoors, on Field Turf, due to cold weather.

Â» QB Brian Brohm (6-3 3/8, 232): Ran the 40 in 4.69 and 4.70, had a 4.41 short shuttle, ran position drills and kept everything else from the combine. Looked good in passing workouts -- threw 75 passes, lining up in 5-receivers sets as well as two-TE sets.

gregf, nice try, but you can do better than that. In fact, I encourage you to do better than that.

We need a resident Giants fan up here. We have a Cowboys fan and an Eagles fan, and they "get it," they dig the discourse up here and they play nice, without in any way compromising their fanhood. In fact, it's great to get their perspective on the Skins as non-fans. (We also have a resident Dolphins fan, but he's kind of an enigma.)

And through the past few seasons we've had drive-bys where fans of other teams have hung around before a specific game, like, I think, a Packer fan who was in the mix for a few weeks. And a Seahawk fan who jawed with us before the playoff game.

So I guess what I'm saying is, gregf, maybe you want to stick around and be our man on the Giants beat.

thanks for the invite Nateinthe PDX- I was all over this site during the whole coaching debacle/soap opera/I mean search...you are actually the third Skin fan to invite me back so I look forward to that banter....

PS-just received my DVD with my SI subscription...NFL films does an awesome job...maybe some day you cats might get a DVD...not anytime soon of course....but in the next 20-30 years...

Thinking more about the GOP convention thing, and I don't want to get all politickal up here, but NOT ONLY is it ridiculous for the GOP convention to be in September, and NOT ONLY is it ridiculous that they scheduled their big shining moment on the date everybody knows is the First Football Game of the Season, but if those doofuses were going to pick a Thursday in September, how could they possibly whiff on Thursday, September 11???

I mean, come on already, just one freakin' week later it's September freakin 11! McCain is no Rudy Giuliani, but 9/11 is right in his wheelhouse, it's the critical piece to his warmongery platform!

Deadskins start the season 0-1 ans Sean Taylor is looking up from hell crying...

i went to the game last year in the meadowlands and was amazed at how the giants fans turned on their team at an instant. they booed everyone from Eli to Strahan without mercy. i have been a skins season ticket holder for over ten years and have heard my share of boos at fedex, but never like that night at giant stadium. the choice classless words they had for me and my old man in the seats remind me of this giants fan. the only that made me angrier than the giants winning the super bowl was that they have a fanbase that didn't deserve it. look forward to 1-0 to being 2008

2) Its a smokescreen. We have no interest in him but we want to raise "reasonable doubt" so that another team will consider trading up with us in the first round to ensure we don't draft him.

3) We are just doing due diligence and wanting to wow Charles, so that when his rookie contract is up, the skins are on his short list of teams he wants to sign with.

4) There is another offensive player at Texas that we are interested in, and we want to ask Charles about him.

Posted by: SETH.LEMASTER | March 27, 2008 10:34 AM

My guess would be one of those three or they're hoping he's around when they pick in the second round. Portis has a history of injury and they don't have a decent 3rd RB IMO. That being said I think they have more pressing needs in the 2nd round. I bet they want to talk to him about Sweed. Can't type that guys name without thinking about the movie Heartbreak Ridge. Sweed! Sweed! Sweed!

Thinking more about the GOP convention thing, and I don't want to get all politickal up here, but NOT ONLY is it ridiculous for the GOP convention to be in September, and NOT ONLY is it ridiculous that they scheduled their big shining moment on the date everybody knows is the First Football Game of the Season, but if those doofuses were going to pick a Thursday in September, how could they possibly whiff on Thursday, September 11???

I mean, come on already, just one freakin' week later it's September freakin 11! McCain is no Rudy Giuliani, but 9/11 is right in his wheelhouse, it's the critical piece to his warmongery platform!

Just seems like a missed opportunity to me, is all...

Okay, I'll shut up now. Sorry. Please ignore.

Posted by: NateinthePDX | March 27, 2008 11:47 AM

Hey Nate - Do you mind if I post this on 'The Fix' Blog??!! Good Question!

"According to the allegations, King James looks like King Kong clutching Fay Wray on the latest cover of Vogue, and the image, according to potential handbook writers, "conjures up this idea of a dangerous black man."

Hmm, to LeBron and his handlers, he looks like LeBron clutching a pretty white woman on the latest cover of Vogue, and the image conjures up the idea that LeBron can race up court with a basketball and a supermodel"

People like to use the term "Deadskins." What exactly is a Deadskin? Cowgirls pertains to the Cowboys because it the female version of the name, Iggles is because the fan base can't say the name of the team correctly, is a Deadskin a dead Native American? I don't think I understand the meaning of it. Is it because people are too lazy to think up something that makes sense so they pick something that rhymes?

I kind of hate to chime in on the Vogue cover but I just feel I must for some reason.

Like many of you up here, I don't see a problem with the cover. Kind of weird, but I don't see anything wrong with LBJ cuffing Gisele(sp). But I do understand why some may frown upon it. I think some people especially blacks see the cover and think "Yeah, thats typical. Agressive, out of control black guy, with the innocent looking white super model (Although I can't ever remember a cover of any magazine with two figures on the front like those two).

As I said, I don't think they are people calling for an apology from Vogue, at least not me, but just thoughts of the stereotypical.

If you want an apology get one from Labron, it did not look like he had a gun to his head. People in this country are to danm sensitive(not you Red)grow up and realize there a far worse things then Labron on the cover of vogue.

From Arkansas Pro Day results:
WR Marcus Monk (6-4Â¼, 215): Ran the 40 in 4.43 and 4.41, had a 36-inch vertical jump, 10-foot 2-inch long jump, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else.

This guy has an interesting scouting report, he has skills but was kind of overshadowed in the Arkansas ground-oriented offense, and could be a good late round pick for WR depth. He seems like another Mix type guy, we could certainly use another big guy who wouldn't cost us a first day draft pick. And besides, it would be kind of cool to have another "Monk" in our WR corp!

Thanks, guru.
I don't know what to think about the Vogue cover. It didn't bother me, but that isn't the point and it isn't for me to determine whether it's offensive. Are people truly bothered by it? I think Jason Whitlock wrote a good column on the topic, on foxsports.

2007: Underwent two surgeries on his right knee that would keep him on the sidelines for the first half of the season...On August 13th, Monk underwent an arthroscopy on his right knee to repair a small tear he suffered at practice on August 9th. He was initially diagnosed with a bone bruise after hurting his knee at practice. He underwent another surgical procedure on August 28th, having two pieces of cartilage had moved beneath the meniscus after his knee locked up on him during his rehabilitation, causing pain. "It was two loose bodies that had flaked off the articular cartilage that he had damaged before," Arkansas trainer Dean Weber said...Monk was also injured upon his return to the field, suffering a bruised calf vs. South Carolina...Started five of seven games he appeared in at split end, finishing fourth on the team with sixteen receptions for 144 yards (9.0 avg) and three touchdowns. 14 GP; 14 GS; Rec: 50-962-19.2-11 in '06. 11 GP; 11 GS; Rec: 35-476-13.6-7 in '05. 11 GP; 6 GS; Rec: 37-569-15.4-6 in '04. UA freshman record with 37 receptions in 2004.

greg, actually he's not agressive at all. I think the image Vogue wanted to portray is this beastly looking dude in control of a helpless woman (hence the king kong reference). But they forgot about the race aspect, which is unfortunate. And seeing how it was the first time a black of any gender graced the cover, I guess "people" would want the cover to be more appealing and tasteful.

km, I agree with everything you said. people are very, very, sensitive these days. I think sometimes society in general has priorities mixed and tangled.

As for me I think it's a non issue so I'm not going to discuss anymore, besides is just a matter of time until someone reads a post from me and takes it completely out of context.

What are the chances Clinton Portis rushes for 1500 yds. this coming season?

KMDP4 - Thanks for the extra info on Marcus Monk, I didn't know he had knee troubles last year, but if he's healthy now, I could still see using a 7th round pick on him. I like to think of any final round picks like lottery tickets - you don't expect to get anything out of them, so you take a chance on a long shot and hope you get lucky!

Sad news on ESPN.com regarding small-school OL prospect Heath Benedict:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3314762
This guy sounded like he had a ton of potential - I was kind of hoping we might pick him up with our compensatory pick in the bottom of the 3rd round, and let Buges shape him into a beast to shore up the interior of our OL. Dead at 24, just as he was about to get his shot at the NFL - what a shame...

GregMarino, all they are saying at this point is "natural causes", and that no foul play was involved. With a guy that big, I suppose they will have to determine if he was taking any performance enhancers that might have contributed to this untimely end, but that would just be speculation at this point.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Heath Benedict, a two-time Little All-American offensive lineman from Newberry College in South Carolina, was found dead on a couch in his home.

Jacksonville police said no foul play is suspected in the death of the 24-year-old Benedict, a 6-foot-4Â¾, 321-pound senior who had high hopes of being selected in the NFL draft next month.

Benedict Found His Place

ESPN.com college football writer Chris Low visited with Heath Benedict (right) in January at the Senior Bowl and found a more mature player who, thanks to his Newberry College experience, had positioned himself to be an NFL draft pick. Story

Benedict, who redshirted at Tennessee as a freshman in 2002 before moving on to Newberry, was a native of the Netherlands. He played high school football at the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J.

Jacksonville police spokesman Ken Jefferson said Benedict's body was taken to the medical examiner's office to determine the cause of his death. He was found dead Wednesday evening. Benedict was ranked the No. 4 guard in the draft by Scouts Inc. and projected as a fourth-round selection in April.

"Right now, we're all just trying to figure out what to do," Newberry assistant coach Ike Allred told The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C. "Obviously, we're all just praying for Heath and his family at this time."

Benedict played high school football at the Peddie School and moved to Greer, S.C., with his family. Following his senior season at Peddie, he was named a Parade All-American, played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and received a scholarship at Tennessee.

According to the report, Benedict withdrew from Tennessee after his redshirt freshman season and returned to Greer, where Newberry coach Zak Willis offered him a scholarship. Given a second chance, he became a stronger student and locker room leader, earning multiple small-college and Division II All-America honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

Last month, before the NFL scouting combine, Benedict said he was looking forward to representing Newberry in the NFL, according to The State.

"Newberry's a great school. I really enjoyed my four years there and now I have the opportunity to come from there to the NFL," Benedict said a month ago, according to the report. "I'm always going to be grateful for the opportunity they gave me. I'll always be a Newberry Indian."

Greg - When you said Whitlock was well written, I had to go and read for myself because I never seen that happened. The 1st few paragraphs were alright, but after that was the same 'ole Whitlock lumping all of us young black people in the same boat as he always does. He's a fool for that.

Thanks for the feed back guys. From what I am hearing is that my generation dosen't have a proplem with this. It's the generation before us who grew up in a more racially charged US of A that seemed to be more offended because of what they been through. And I totally understand.....

Redskins News
The team has signed tight end Pete Schmitt.
You may remember him from last year. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in M and released during preseason.
He attended Wisconsin-Whitewater and is 6-3, 252.

How many years under Dan Snyder and "The Vin" do we go before we compare him to other unsuccessful owners? Owners that market the home games as a chance to see other teams marquee players, owners that care more about squeezing revenues than building a winner? Is Dan successful in your eyes? Is Vinny Successful? How are we measuring success? A team with a real chance at the Super Bowl? Strong talent management? A single home playoff game in the past 15 years?

How can you argue that we will be improved next year when the team has gotten older, several high profile injuries, changing offensive philosophy and re-training a relatively young QB? Lost a top 10 league wide saftey, two old corners? No pass rush.

And what is the identity of the team? Why spend up to the limit all those years in a row and now spend nothing? Where is the balanced approach. With Gibbs gone, where is the "Football man" with "Football smarts"? Is it now Vinny? I suggest we have seen behind the curtain where the wizard should be sitting and there is only an empty chair.

I'm calling it right here, Portis wins MVP.
Maybe not, but his numbers will be gaudy this year. in the last couple of games he became alot more involved in the passing attack, a ploy to get him the ball in open space. This worked very well, Bears gm 70 yd play, and while Zorn said he would emphasize the running game this year, expect to see portis used like Westbrook is in Philly, maybe 1500 rushing 1000 recieving...

Thanks for the feed back guys. From what I am hearing is that my generation dosen't have a proplem with this. It's the generation before us who grew up in a more racially charged US of A that seemed to be more offended because of what they been through. And I totally understand.....

Posted by: 4thFloor | March 27, 2008 02:51 PM

4th, I'm not sure how well this blog represents the US of A. My gut feeling is that it skews towards blue state, upper middle class, urban America. Agree that some of the difference in reaction is generational, but I'd be very curious if reactions would be different between two groups of 20somethings, one from DC/NYC and one from Omaha, NE.

Adam - I gathered that from what I am hearing on the radio and reading. And it sounds pretty consistent. It will never be 100% 20somethings nor 0% 50somethings. But, I am hering more outrage from older people and less from younger people is all I said. I am just thanking all commentors on this blog for their feedback and stating what I gathered over the past 2 days from everywhere...

Clown,
Cripes, take it to a cowboys blog. They will all be happy to side with you. As for me, I will be hoping and thinking we are better than last year until we go 0-8. Right now we are 0-0, and so is everyone else. Zorn could suck as HC, but guess what; he could be great. I am hoping he's great. Right now we are getting healthier and we have lots of draft picks, and finally some decent cap room in case of emergency. We're getting older; what team isn't at this point? Eli Manning is a year older now; OH MY, the Giants are doomed! We have all of our starters from last year under contract, and we made the playoffs with a ton of backups in there. Weren't you one of Gibb's biggest bashers during the season? You should be glad we have a new coach....... Just stop wining about everything. If you try, you can see that there are alot of positives.

I've always been a glass half-full guy, so here's why I think the Skins' are turning the corner as an organization and may be pretty good this year:

1) Transparency- Under Gibbs, there was alwayd this veil of secrecy. Vinny has told the media and fans that they were going to stand pat during FA, adn they have so far. Zorn has already declared Campbell the starter...Gibbs would not have done that.

Golston and Montgomery are talented young players. No they are not All-pros, but they are good against the run and put pressure up the middle. I'm sure the Skins were even in the bottom of the leagure in sacks. How many yards did Peterson, Barber and Jacobs get against this untalented D-Line?

Carter had 10 1/2 sacks and began to come on this season. Perhaps, Seth, your view of talent and my view of talent are different.

The Skins third year players (Alexander, Doughty, Eubanks, Golston, McIntosh, Mix, and Montgomery) are talented. I expect them to all improve and play even better this year.

Who has the potential for a break-out season this year?

My bet is on McIntosh and Montgomery...

A lot of people seem to under estimate Montgomery (6-6, 315). As a second year player, he anchored the defensive line -- as a starting DT -- providing the LBs ample lanes to stuff the run. The Skins had the #4 NFL's rushing defense (91.2 yards/game) and Montgomery contributed 47 tackles (35 solo), and half-sack, and two fumble recoveries.

McIntosh was playing great before the injury. Even so, he had 105 tackles (70 solo) in 14 games, with 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He was second on the team in tackles -- only behind Fletcher. Assuming he fully recovers, then there is no reason to believe he can't surpass that effort this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Alexander, Doughty, Mix, and Golston are major contributers this year. Alexander is a three-way player who should be the backup C/G -- taking over for Pucillo this year. Doughty is the starting SS and played pretty solid by the end of the season. Mix (6-5, 235) is a big, tall WR who played with Campbell in college. Golston has shown flashes, but he needs to be more consistent and prove he's the player who can eventually replace Griffin. Eubanks is the only question mark, because he must prove he's fully recovered from injury and probably beat out a (cheaper) rookie during training camp.

Vinny was on Redskins Radio today and was asked his opinion on AQIB TALIB. He said really likes him....thinks he is a very good player. Also indicated we will pick a WR at some point in the first few rounds - although that is no surprise.

Vinny has been a mixed bag, but he sure was not the guy who brought in Steve Young or Jerry Rice in SF. That other guy, ummmm, Walsh, yeah, thats the guy.

I can certainly see how having Vinny running the draft simplifies things. Whether that is a good thing, the jury is out. The Skins did pretty well with their limited picks during Gibbs 2.

Gibbs 2 was a mixed bag in terms of bringing in talent, but overall, I'd say it was positive. The mistakes were spectacularly bad and the cap management was poor. Still, look at the talent brought in on the defensive side and it is impressive (Springs, Rogers, Rocky, Sean, Fletcher, etc).

Vinny may have a plan, but I'm not optimistic. At least he seems to be getting the Skins out of cap hell, which is a good first step. But he is clearly rolling the dice with the new coach ... his guy. Even if it wasn't Vinny's call, there was no need to roll the dice ... and that wasn't smart.

I'm no Zorn fanboi, but you'll have to be very persuasive to convince me that there was a potential head coach out there that was so far above the rest that the Zorn alternative was unbelievably stupid.

Dagger ... the guy in the house was the best choice, by far. He was respected by his players, they were motivated by him and they were unified in a way that teams rarely are. After GG got left behind, I don't think any top coach (ie Cowher) will put working for Danny high on their list. Zorn is an interesting choice, but obviously an unknown. Zorn was a roll of the dice, more than any of the guys interviewed.

As for Vinnie, it's impossible to judge what his impact on the Gibbs 2.x decisionmaking process was. But as you go through each of the decisions, can you make a reasonable argument that the decision was a understandable, whether or not it was a good one?

In most cases, I think I can. I think Brunell was even an understandable decision; Gibbs wanted an experienced QB, didn't want to wait, and thought a 3rd round pick was reasonable. Maybe they could've played the waiting game, but that's guesswork.

BLloyd was clearly a mistake. I wonder how much Saunders had to do with that decision, how much pressure Gibbs was under to make sure Saunders had the tools he wanted. I posted a quote here a couple of weeks ago from Saunders' son (one of our assistants to the quality control coordiantor's assistants) who made it real clear that Al had lobbied hard for Lloyd [or perhaps his fingertips]. This doesn't excuse Gibbs for missing the character issue -- but there aren't any real good explanations for the man I'll call "The Mistake By the Lake".

Dagger, agree with you. Early on, Gibbs definitely overpaid for guys he wanted. I think he got smarter as he got more familiar with the league. Portis and Brunell are exhibits 1 and 2. But overall, they did a decent job.

To me, Gibbs was 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Gibbs was a great leader, a so-so game coach and a decent team president.

As an impartial observer, my take is that by hiring Zorn and not GG the Skins took a big step into the unknown. Whether that's back, forward, or about where they are is most definitely yet to be determined.

zcezcest1, I think your "step back" comment is based a lot more on GG's accomplishments as a defensive coordinator, not as a head coach. Frankly, GG's HC stint #1 wasn't very good at all, and assuming that GG's second stretch as a HC will mirror Bill Bellicheat's is a pretty big logical reach.

zcezcest1 I can't disagree with you more. I have been very pleased in the direction the skins have been moving this year. For the most part they have kept all their key FA. Secondly, they have done a good job of keeping the staff together. Finally, it seems they will have a person we can point to leading them in the draft. Will these changes show immediate benefit we will see? However, in the long run keeping continuity and having a clear offseason vision will only benefit this team.

Well I have been waiting for a slow blog moment and I think this qualifies.

I have a confession to make: I am a Bengals fan!

Don't get me wrong, I have lived here for 18 years so I am a big Redskins fan as well...moved here in the bandwagon year and Redskins were a pretty easy team to root for...rationalized it that it was OK to have an NFC team too...team kind of grew on me although the Snyder years have been kind of rough...

It's not like there has been much of a conflict of interest here given that neither team has done much in the last decade or so. Still, I just want to be clear that I will root for the Bengals in that once every 4 years Bengals-Redskins matchup. I will admit I have been biting my tongue on the CJ trade (please, please, make a bid for him Redskins)

Anyway, after seeing some posts that invited a Giants dude to stay around and provide commentary on the blog, I felt that this was the best time to come clean. I'm no Redcoat (mostly because I don't know what I am talking about) but hopefully I won't be thrown out of the fraternity here.

Tom Haydon, of The Star-Ledger, reports New York Giants LB Antonio Pierce appeared in a Monroe Township Municipal Court Thursday, March 27, and agreed to pay $1,300 in fines after pleading guilty to neglecting a pet pit bull and letting two other pit bulls run wild. Pierce was asked to sign autographs by fans outside the courtroom but did not sign any. Pierce and a female companion were summoned for letting dogs run loose, failing to get dog licenses and failing to get rabies shots.

Z -- I'd go in a little different direction-- Gibbs was a great leader, good team president, and nowhere near the game coach that his resume would indicate. I fully expected him to win games from the sidelines, and dominate every coaching battle. As much as it pains me to admit it, he was routinely outcoached.

I think the perception that he overpaid/overdid things at first is misattribution; we tend to extrapolate from the true shabingus of Snyder's first few years that we were always betting big in free agency. But think of the FA classes under Spurrier. Canidate? Wuerrfel? Matthews? And the "No Talent" defense... kinda like "No Name", but with a better reason for having no name.

So when Gibbs arrived, the Spurrier era had wreaked havoc on the roster. And so, they mortgaged some draft picks and made some nice pickups on defense, and stopped the bleeding. 6-10 sucks, but they scored 20 pts. only twice in 2004, and still were in almost every game to the end.

zornskins, looking back, it should have been a tipoff that anybody was excited enough about our puzzling head coach hire to incorporate the new coach's name into his blog handle. Yeah, that level of enthusiasm probably should have struck us as a little odd.

Anyway, welcome. The Skins are playing at Cincy this fall, so I guess on some level you've been 'scouting,' eh?

There seems to be an affinity for the old AFC Central up here. dcsween's people are from Cleveland, so he has a weakness for the Browns. I myself sort of had a thing for the Steelers, and they're still my favorite AFC team. And of course our host, Mr. La Canfora, is a HUGE Ravens fan.

Regarding grilliams -- I thought he was the natural choice, and I was surprised that he wasn't selected. But he did have some negative issues. And he was no offensive genius, which is where our problems have been.
If he becomes a HC somewhere and goes to the super bowl, then I'll come back here and change my mind. But my real point was that this was a bad year to need a head coach, and there was no one out there that was the clear #1 choice...

Sailors, Seabees and Marines:
We got sunlight on the sand,
We got moonlight on the sea,
We got mangoes and bananas
You can pick right off the tree,
We got volleyball and ping-pong
And a lot of dandy games!
What ain't we got?
We ain't got dames!

We get packages from home,
We get movies, we get shows,
We get speeches from our skipper
And advice from Tokyo Rose,
We get letters doused with perfume
We get dizzy from the smell!
What don't we get?
You know darn well!

We have nothin' to put on a clean white suit for
What we need is what there ain't no substitute for...

There is nothin' like a dame,
Nothin' in the world,
There is nothin' you can name
That is anythin' like a dame!

We feel restless, we feel blue,
We feel lonely and in grief,
We feel ev'ry kind of feelin',
But the feelin' of relief
We feel hungry as the wolf felt
When he met Red Hiding-hood
What don't we feel?
We don't feel good!

Lots of things in life are beautiful, but brother,
There is one particular thing that is nothin' whatsoever
In any way, shape or form like any other.

There is nothin' like a dame,
Nothin' in the world,
There is nothin' you can name
That is anythin' like a dame!

Nothin' else was built the same,
Nothin' in the world
As the soft and wavy frame
Like the silhouette of a dame!

There is absolutely nothin' like a frame of a dame.

So suppose that dame and bride
Are completely free from flaws,
Or as faithful as a bird dog,
Or as kind as Santa Claus,
It's a waste of time to worry
Over things that they have not,
We're thankful for the things they got!

There is nothin' you can name
That is anythin' like a dame!

There are no books like a dame,
And nothin' looks like a dame.
There are no drinks like a dame,
And nothin' thinks like a dame,
Nothin' acts like a dame,
Or attracts like a dame.
There ain't a thing that's wrong with any man here
That can't be cured by pullin' him near
A girly, womanly, female, feminine dame!

"We think that he (Clinton Portis) can be a 1,800-yard back this season," assistant head coach/running backs Stump Mitchell said. "Running behind that offensive line, he should average four-and-a-half to five yards per carry."

Really? I didn't realize we had a great offensive line. True, we get Randy Thomas back, and the aged Jansen, but I don't know about Stump's assessment.

"Remember me telling you about Kelly Thompson, the pharmaceutical sales rep? Same deal; she got back with her herpes positive ex boyfriend too, and admitted to me that she had herpes as well, but that sex with her would be safe, as long as she had no sores, and only in certain positions; which positions, I never found out."

1. Vinny did not draft Steve Young or Jerry Rice. No sh!t they were already there before he got to SF. The article said that Vinny drafted 16 pro bowlers and sent 10 FA's to the pro bowl, that looks pretty good to me.

2. The GG situation I can not believe anyone is still crying about this, but since you are lets talk about GG. He was a terrible coach in Buffalo, he has a bigger ego then any coach in the league IMO. He is a good Defensive cordinator and that is all he will be, he will not get a HC job in the NFL IMO.

3. Zorn was a roll of the dice, this is a stupid comment any new coach is a gamble, but I would rather gamble on a fresh new coach then some retread only out for the money. Zorn will be out to prove himself I will take that any day.

How many years under Dan Snyder and "The Vin" do we go before we compare him to other unsuccessful owners? Owners that market the home games as a chance to see other teams marquee players, owners that care more about squeezing revenues than building a winner? Is Dan successful in your eyes? Is Vinny Successful? How are we measuring success? A team with a real chance at the Super Bowl? Strong talent management? A single home playoff game in the past 15 years?

How can you argue that we will be improved next year when the team has gotten older, several high profile injuries, changing offensive philosophy and re-training a relatively young QB? Lost a top 10 league wide saftey, two old corners? No pass rush.

And what is the identity of the team? Why spend up to the limit all those years in a row and now spend nothing? Where is the balanced approach. With Gibbs gone, where is the "Football man" with "Football smarts"? Is it now Vinny? I suggest we have seen behind the curtain where the wizard should be sitting and there is only an empty chair.

Posted by: DownTownClown | March 27, 2008 03:01 PM

You're an idiot. If you're going to address me, do it properly.

I'm not even sure why you're addressing me with this; I've been one of the biggest critics of the front office on this blog, but what's done is done and I've softened my stance to a "wait and see" approach.

The Cardinals and Bengals have over 20 years of futility in their history. The Redskins don't. I'm as frustrated as anybody with this team, but to compare this team to those dormant franchises is ridiculous. Regardless of whether or not Snyder is a good owner or Vinny is a competent personnel guy, this team has made the playoffs 3 times since he's owned the team. Not a great track record, but not abysmal.

And for the record, I've been saying this is an 8-8 team. This team went 9-7 last year. Last time I checked, that's not improvement. Maybe next time you should actually READ a post of mine before just ranting and addressing it to the first two names you remember.

I know Vinny Cerrato was a scout when the 69ers one their last Super-bowl. I think he did get to be in-charge of personnel before he left but not 100% on that. I always hear he gets credit/blame for dumping Garcia and TO.

I missed a lot yesterday, namely the Vinny with the 49ers stuff. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Vinny just a scout with the Niners?

Posted by: brownwood26 | March 28, 2008 07:13 AM

Brownwood,

I was just going by the article I believe Vinny was a scout but not sure how much influence he had. The guy writing the article knows more then me I would imagine.

Thanks for getting the Downtowndummy for me, I thought his comments were idiotic atleast Snyder is trying to win, and as far as ticket prices and parking and crap like that, all NFL teams that make money srew the fans in some way.

I know Vinny Cerrato was a scout when the 69ers one their last Super-bowl. I think he did get to be in-charge of personnel before he left but not 100% on that. I always hear he gets credit/blame for dumping Garcia and TO.

Posted by: alex35332 | March 28, 2008 07:27 AM

Sucks for him if he's getting blame for TO and Garcia because he was already here by then. I thought Danny hired him when he bought the team in 1999.

As for your knife fight proposal, I submit to you the premise for the brawl scene in Anchorman. "THE STREETS WILL RUN RED WITH BURGUNDY'S BLOOD!"

Yeah, DownTownClown is the new Sports_Guru in my book. At least this clown is appropriately named.

Snyder's a fan, so I don't think he's tanking the team on purpose. I just resent the fact it's taken him 10 years to figure out that what he's been doing doesn't work. I just hope he's truly changed and is looking at what Pittsburgh has been doing for years and tries to implement that.

Speaking Skins jerseys and shindigs, anybody going to the Hall of Fame inductions?

Marino- you are right, his carries will be reduced, but with that we will be getting him the ball more in the passing game. i would rather him get 15 carries and 10 balls thrown at him because when he gets hit in the flat, he has more space to work with thus a chance to make a big play.

That article by the Rooster is suspect. I would suggest he understates the difference between a Faneca and a DeMulling. Look at how the running game suffered in Seattle when Hutchinson left, and how it's taken off in Minnesota. It ain't all the RBs.

And what Stump said about the Skins OL could be true if Randy comes back and stays healthy. And if the RT situation settles down which might be a matter of improvement from Heyer. Of course, wouldn't mind an Albert in the first round.

Glad to see I am not the only one to think the GG thing has been played out.

Vinny needs to have a great draft, and I know that is asking alot, but if he wants vindication he needs to hit on every player taken in rounds 1-3, not sure how many picks we will have hopefully atleast 4.

If we are on the clock and harvey and cromartie are gone i think we should trade down to top5 second round and get an exra 1st or 2nd and 3rd next year. it would be smart to stockpile picks, especially from a team drafting that high, and most if not all the WR wont go until the second round anyway

brownie, when the HOF elections were announced, a handful of people said they would be heading for Canton for HOF weekend (the induction ceremony, and the game, and the many other delights to be found in the Canton-Massilon metro area).

I'm sure the place will be lousy with Skins fans all weekend. Which will be awesome, because as I've said, that weekend may be the high point of 2008 for us as Skins fans :)

J.J. Pesavento, of Next Level Scouting, reports Akron CB Reggie Corner measured a height of 5-foot-9 3/8 and a weight of 180 pounds at his Pro Day. His hands measured 8 1/2 inches and his arm length was 30 5/8 inches. He ran 10 yards in 1.56 seconds, 20 yards in 2.58 seconds and the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds. He ran the short shuttle in 4.03 seconds, the long shuttle in 11.46 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.87 seconds. He measured a 36-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot broad jump and completed 15 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.

skinfanman, don't you think there might be a teeny tiny bit of sour grapes behind that Rooster column?

Maybe from his vantage point as a guy who was always "just a guy" there isn't much difference between a Faneca and a DeMulling (or, say, a Randy Thomas and a Fabini), but to fans there sure as hell looks like there's a difference!

kmdp4, I also said that when Monk got in we would make the trip to Canton. Now with Green going in as well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I bought tickets that night it was announced!
As for the draft, I am on the Albert bandwagon. But an interesting thought... looks like Sweed is expected to fall in the first round (I'll believe it when I see it). Would you go Sweed over Albert?

mrod, agreed. 15-20 carries for CP, and 10-15 carries for Betts. Get both guys the ball in open space and see what they can do. And trading out of the first round is a good idea, but I'd rather, instead of a 1 next year, they got a 2 and a 3 this year. If they ended up with 5 picks in the first 100 selections, that would be HUGE for the future of this team.

I don't buy what the Rooster was selling either. Seattle was just one primary example of this. Hutch left, and Alexander wasn't quite the same back. Look at how the Redskins have done when Randy Thomas has gone out, the running game isn't nearly as effective.

skinfanman, don't you think there might be a teeny tiny bit of sour grapes behind that Rooster column?

Maybe from his vantage point as a guy who was always "just a guy" there isn't much difference between a Faneca and a DeMulling (or, say, a Randy Thomas and a Fabini), but to fans there sure as hell looks like there's a difference!

Posted by: NateinthePDX | March 28, 2008 09:09 AM

I'm no Ross Tucker, but to say that there is only a marginal difference between Faneca and Demulling is insane. Ol' Rick couldn't even beat Fabini out for a spot.

That 6-7 plays a game difference he is talking about make a HUGE difference when your RG actaully gets picked up off the ground and thrown into the QB like a video game. (points at Fabini)

I'm fairly certain I have never seen Randy Thomas or Faneca get hurled through the air and actually take the QB down themselves.

sams3, you took me down memory lane to old Jumpy Geathers and his trademark "forklift" move. A move that's awesome to see your team do to someone else's QB, but not so much fun when it's being done to yours...

And apologies for my 'Fletching' joke yesterday, I was standing in for 'sween.

And welcome back Dame!

And Nate, since when did you start posting showtunes? Is there something you want to tell us? I recall being dragged to see 'South Pacific' by my mum, talk about 'cruel and unusual punishment' for a four year old!

Hey y'all,
Long time reader, only written a couple of comments though. Born and raised in DC, but moving to San Diego this summer and wanted to see if there were any other RI bloggers in that area who know of any Skins bars there so I don't have to pay for the NFL ticket to watch my boys play.
Ugh, not looking forward to getting up at 10 AM instead of 1 though and doubt too many bars would be open that early either.

km, agreed, Albert in the first. Put him and buges together, and lets see what happens. Its going to be tough to pass on Groves if he's there in round 2. I want Nelson, don't get me wrong, but thinking back to how effective Tom Brady was when he was on his back has got me thinking.

I was at a Spanish restaurant for dinner, and I ordered an Estrella, which according to the menu was a Spanish beer, and they brought me out a Stellas Artois?? I was so angry I drank it just to spite them!

Oh, and put me in the category of people that think it's time to stop whining about not hiring GG. Not exactly a proven winner as HC, and while the search was a debacle, I'm fine with keeping most of the staff intact for continuity and hopefully opening up the offense a little more with Zorn calling the plays.
Hail

Just read in that sportsline article that Vinny was responsible for drafting Terrell Owens in the 3rd round when he was in SF. The article also said that Vinny "was part of a staff that drafted 16 Pro Bowlers from 1991-98, including two Rookies of the Year, and that sent 10 free-agent additions to Honolulu from 1993-98, including 1994 Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sanders."

I definitely feel much more confident about our draft, knowing vinny did such a good job drafting quality players in SF.

being "part of the staff" is not the same as being the one making the final choices. but he has been a decent scout of college players during his career.

we he has failed, and i think this was the case in SF, is free agency. i believe he was the one who brought in some good high-priced vets to SF to help them get that superbowl, but it also is what put them into salary cap hell for a few years, basically, turning the team into a bottom feeder almost ever since.

btw, to put my 2 cents in on pacman jones. people can change, but you don't know who will or won't. but if we could get him for a 5th round pick? yeah, i'd do that in a heartbeat. as stupid as he was off the field, i don't ever remember hearing things about him on the field or in practice, like with mr. lloyd.

i havent seen a "professional" mock that had harvey falling to us at 21. in every case its a mock done by a fan who obviously doesnt look at the needs of other teams and is really just creating a "dream draft." Then again, there are always surprises every year and its within the realm of possibility that harvey could be this years brady quinn.

i don't see any chance of Harvey being around at #21. His name keeps popping up in association with both Carolina(13) and Minnesota(17) in the draft. Even worse is a rumor I've heard several times that Jacksonville is willing to trade up above us to get Harvey. Jaguars love to pick guys from the U. of Florida and they need a DE to complete their defensive line. So expect Harvey to be gone, but Merling might be available. Drafting him early has become risky because there is no way of knowing how he will be physically after the surgery.

Some more unhappy draft news - last night on NFL Network, they had a feature on Branden Albert. The panel (Casserly, Davis, and someone else) predicted him to be drafted in the top-20 (and maybe will go as high as top-10) because of the thinking that Albert will move outside to Left OT as a pro.

Groves has been more or less slotted to be a 3-4 OLB. Some sites even have him listed now as a linebacker rather than a DE. "Best thinking" is Groves will disappear as a 4-3 DE because he is too small to play the run. He might be a good replacement for Washington or a short-term replacement for McIntosh, but team needs seem to be greater at other positions this year. Sizewise, he isn't much different than Chris Wilson or Andre Carter.

They could be wright on Albert he is a good player, and I agree that Harvey will not be there. Again it all depends on what teams think they need, and who is willing to trade up to get a player they really want. I say if no difference maker is there then try to trade down to get more picks.

taf, if that happens, then the Redskins need to dance with who is left on the dance floor. I wouldn't be surprised if he went early, not at all, guy with that size who can play guard, and tackle, someone is going to want that type of player.

There are a bunch of guys who I'd be happy with. Devin Thomas, Jeff Otah, Harvey, heck, I'd take a shot at Merling.

kmdp - My worst fear is that Harvey and Albert and Thomas and Rogers-Cromartie will be gone, and we'll get stuck with someone like Cialis or Limas because there won't be any trade-down possibilities. From what I've read, the thinking on Atlanta is that they will only try to move up if there is a run on QBs. Otherwise, they will pick one early in the 2nd round.

That mock draft from Newerascouting seems pretty good in the 1st round. It seems to echo a lot of the same things I've been reading elsewhere for most teams. Harvey dropping to #21 would be a pretty large gift, so I hope the guy is right. (The rest of his draft looks like it was done after the alcohol started kicking in.)

skinfanman, don't you think there might be a teeny tiny bit of sour grapes behind that Rooster column?

Maybe from his vantage point as a guy who was always "just a guy" there isn't much difference between a Faneca and a DeMulling (or, say, a Randy Thomas and a Fabini), but to fans there sure as hell looks like there's a difference!

Posted by: NateinthePDX | March 28, 2008 09:09 AM

Agreed. The first time I saw the value of a top flight guard was Larry Little of the Dolphins. Czonka and Kiick and Morris used to run behind him. It really pays to have a guard who can just move people out. Tre Johnson was such a guard before he blew up his knee.

Regarding DEs, I'm not sure this guy Lawrence Jackson of USC isn't the real deal. One mock has him going #26 to Jacksonville. Maybe the Skins should trade down and let them pick Merling and take Jackson.

I watched some highlights of DEs on scout.com. It's hard to see very much. They show them sacking the QB after they've beaten the lineman, where it might be more instructive to see them actually beating the lineman. But Harvey looked good and Jackson looked good.

Regarding DEs, I'm not sure this guy Lawrence Jackson of USC isn't the real deal. One mock has him going #26 to Jacksonville. Maybe the Skins should trade down and let them pick Merling and take Jackson.

I watched some highlights of DEs on scout.com. It's hard to see very much. They show them sacking the QB after they've beaten the lineman, where it might be more instructive to see them actually beating the lineman. But Harvey looked good and Jackson looked good.

Posted by: skinfanman | March 28, 2008 12:08 PM

He was on NFL radio the other day. He seems like a decent kid that is rady to play some ball.

If I had to pick from the third tier, only Albert and Merling were gone, I'd be tempted to take Mayo. LB isn't the biggest need, but we could use another one, and I prefer going after the best available generally. Only I hate taking WRs in the first.

Eh, I'm not that high on any of the recievers this year, especially since we're essentially looking for a #2-3 reciever at this point. Doesn't make sense to me to waste a 1st or 2nd round pick when CB, DE and OL seem more pressing at this point.

Seems kind of funny that if we pick a CB like Cromartie-Rogers with the 1st, that would make 4-5 1st rounders on DBs. Taylor's death aside, you'd think we'd have shored up that area by now.

Gholston is 2nd tier? When?? When did this happen, was it before he ran a 4.58, or after, cause that makes no sense.

Desean Jackson is 169 pounds. He is going to get CROAKED. I don't see him as first round material.

Cialis Campbell is still going in the first round? Does this guy have pictures of people with farm animals or what? Great, he's 6'7, he's slower than dirt. Tackles will get their hands on him, and its game over.

I also think Mendenhall is going to be a better pro, than MfFadden. Mendenhall is bigger, and is going to be able to run inside better than McFadden.

Hopefully these guys fry. I know people don't agree with the death penalty, but life is all about choices, and the choices they made should have severe and harsh consequences. Thats all I'll say about that.

Thanks for the blog slap-downs. As someone noted, I was never super hot on Gibbs (see M. Brunell), BUT I think Greg Williams should have become head coach to build on the continuity. And I think Vinny is poor as a GM(ish) figure, and Vinny and his role exist soley because of Dan's unorthodox (meddlesome) approach.

However, since we are all gentlemen and fans of the burgundy and black, Let's escalate our disagreements to the bet book/check book. I am offering, to you three only, the following series of bets, long-term and short term in nature. I am willing to forward the funds to PDX to hold in escrow. You can select individual bets among the offerings.

Bet 1. The Skins don't make the play-offs next year $5 each
Bet 1A. The Redskins overall offense slips at least 7 places from last years ranking. $5 each.
Bet 1B. The Redskins overall Defense slips at least 7 places OR more, from last years ranking. $5 each.

Bet 2. The Skins don't host a home play-off game in the next 4 seasons. (This roughly puts them in the 20 year category you reserve for Cards and Bungles) $10 each {Inflation and all}

Bet 3. Campbell (under Zorn tutelage and quick decision West Coast offense) does not make the pro-bowl in the next three seasons. $5 each

Bet 4. Zorn lasts not more than 2 full seasons as head coach of the Redskins. $5 each.

Bet 5. No more than three members of the 2008 Redskins draft class will be with the team at the end of three seasons from now. $5 each.

Can't wait for the draft. IMO, we are going to be surprised with the choices we will have. These mock drafts as some say do not take team needs into consideration when putting them together.

And even when they do (reed? read? reid? kiper) they take the teams consideration, but are not involved in team meetings so people like BQuin and that QB for Greenbay fall like anchor's. So I am optimistic that we will have someone we (read fans) want fall to 21. And have the option of trading down. I would like to trade w/Atlanta, our first for two of their/there/they're 2nd round picks.

Bet 1. The Skins don't make the play-offs next year $5 each - I'll take this one.

Bet 1A. The Redskins overall offense slips at least 7 places from last years ranking. $5 each. - I'll take this one as well

Bet 1B. The Redskins overall Defense slips at least 7 places OR more, from last years ranking. $5 each. - I'll take this one as well.

Bet 2. The Skins don't host a home play-off game in the next 4 seasons. (This roughly puts them in the 20 year category you reserve for Cards and Bungles) $10 each {Inflation and all} - Your assesment of them being like the Cards is way off base. When was the last time the Cardinals made the playoffs?

Bet 3. Campbell (under Zorn tutelage and quick decision West Coast offense) does not make the pro-bowl in the next three seasons. $5 each - Lets face it, the pro-bowl is a popularity contest. Marion Barber made it, and Portis had more yards than he did. No thanks on this bet.

Bet 4. Zorn lasts not more than 2 full seasons as head coach of the Redskins. $5 each. - I'll take this one as well.

Bet 5. No more than three members of the 2008 Redskins draft class will be with the team at the end of three seasons from now. $5 each. - I'll take this one as well.

DownTownClown, you post on a public forum and expect to extend that bet to only three people. Well damn, I should've dissed you, here goes:

You suck!

Nah, I'm kidding of course. $40 is way too much for be to gamble on. I'll have to break the bank, although I could always pull it out of my 401K... Besides some of your wagers have to stand the test of time, how do they know you'll even be here whwn the season starts?

The New York Jets have guaranteed the $11 million remaining on the final two years of receiver Laveranues Coles' contract, a league source said Friday.

Coles

Coles had been seeking a contract extension, but guaranteeing the remaining two years is an apparent compromise between the team and the receiver. Coles had been critical of the Jets earlier in the offseason for spending money on players from outside and not taking care of players already on the team.

The Jets were one of the most active teams in the NFL's free agency period, signing left guard Alan Faneca, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, defensive end/linebacker Calvin Pace and right tackle Damien Woody to big-money deals.

In total, the team doled out approximately $142 million for the four players -- $74 million of it guaranteed.

Coles, 30, has been a team captain and is one of the most respected leaders in the Jets' locker room. He appeared in 12 games last season, catching 55 passes for 646 yards with six touchdowns. Coles caught 91 passes for 1,098 yards in 2006.

Coles spent the first three years of his career with the Jets and returned to the team in 2005 after a two-year stint with Washington.

The Jets are coming off a 4-12 season under second-year coach Eric Mangini and general manager Mike Tannenbaum. The team made the playoffs as a wild-card team in the first season of the new Jets regime.

The final full week of pro-days offered a number of surprises from unheralded prospects who stole the show from well-known teammates. It also saw the rise of one Big Ten cornerback that is moving up draft boards into the first round.

Risers
Justin King, CB, Penn State
King has been building a buzz since the combine and continued the momentum through his pro-day more than a week ago. He ran in the low 4.3s at the combine then looked outstanding in position drills during his individual workout. King comes off a disappointing junior season and was graded as a third rounder after he declared for the draft. Scouts are rethinking that opinion as King's combination of athleticism, intelligence (he graduated from PSU early) as well as his high character now has him on the verge of breaking into in the first round.

Charles Godfrey, DB, Iowa
Godfrey is another Big Ten defensive back making waves. He significantly improved his marks from the combine, running 40 times as fast as 4.33 seconds while also turning in a vertical jump of 37.5 inches. Godfrey will visit with almost a dozen teams before the draft.

Marcus Monk, WR, Arkansas
Monk, labeled as a possession wide out, has teams reconsidering that assessment since his pro-day. He blistered in the 40, clocking in the low 4.4-second range, then looked exceptional catching the ball during the practice session. Scouts feel Monk, who was hampered with a knee injury throughout the '07 season, may finally be healthy.

Marcus Buggs, OLB, Vanderbilt
Buggs, one of the few Vanderbilt prospects not invited to the combine, put on a show for scouts at his workout. The weak side prospect measured 5-foot-11 and 228 pounds, completed 24 reps on the bench, posted a vertical jump of 34-inches, then ran his 40s in the 4.6-second area.

Alvin Bowen, OLB, Iowa State
Bowen improved on his disappointing 40 times from the combine by running almost two-tenths faster, clocking 4.65 seconds. His short shuttle time of 4.30 seconds and three-cone time of 7.18 seconds were also solid. Bowen looked outstanding in position drills and was congratulated by a number of scouts for his fine performance.

John Booker, OL, San Jose State
Booker, a college tackle who projects to guard in the NFL, turned a number of heads with his athleticism. He measured 6-foot-4Â½ and 313 pounds, lighter than expected. He later completed 27 reps on the bench and ran his 40 in a time of 5.10 seconds. Booker's short shuttle time of 4.58 seconds was also impressive.

Brandon Keith, OL, Northern Iowa
Keith has been rising up draft boards since September and continued the upward movement on Thursday. He measured 6-foot-5, 345 pounds and posted outstanding 40 times which were as fast 4.96 seconds. His size and athleticism has scouts thinking he can start at a number of offensive line positions.

Matt Hewitt, S, Arkansas
The Razorbacks leading tackler put on a show for NFL decision makers, most who came to Fayetteville to watch the Arkansas skill players. He measured 6-foot-2 and 219 pounds then ran his 40 in just under 4.5 seconds. Hewitt was a first-year starter at safety last season and is one of the more underrated defensive backs in the draft.

Steve Korte, RB-FB, x-LSU
The former Tiger, who sat on the sidelines due to academic suspension last season, was the star of LSU's pro-day. He measured 6-foot-1Â½ and 233 pounds then ran his 40 in as fast as 4.32 seconds. Korte later completed 22 reps on the bench, posted a 34.5 inch vertical jump and 10-2 broad jump. He was a little used special teams player early in his college career but his athleticism is likely to get Korte drafted in the late rounds.

Sliders
Early Doucet, WR, LSU
Doucet, who did not run at the combine because of a hamstring injury, was disappointing in his pre-draft workout. He clocked a pair of 40s in the mid 4.5-second range and was so upset with his times he decided to run a third, only to turn in a 4.64.

Harry Douglas, WR, Louisville
The Cardinals slight receiver weighed in at just 177 pounds and could not run below 4.50 seconds in the 40.

Titus Brown, DL-OLB, Mississippi State
Brown, and undersized college defensive end, could not run faster than 4.8 last week. Scouts have concerns whether the 247-pound defender has the speed necessary to play linebacker.

Dwight Lowery, CB, San Jose State
Lowery's speed was a major question mark and the opportunistic cornerback has done nothing to quiet the criticism. His times, which ranged in the mid-to-low 4.6-second area on pro-day, were just slightly better than his marks from the combine.

Bet 2. The Skins don't host a home play-off game in the next 4 seasons. (This roughly puts them in the 20 year category you reserve for Cards and Bungles) $10 each {Inflation and all} - Your assesment of them being like the Cards is way off base. When was the last time the Cardinals made the playoffs?

Didn't the Cards make the playoffs around 2000?

Also, you can't blame Dan Snyder for Westbrook, Ferotte head butting, Heath Shuler because he wasn't the owner at the time. It's only been 8 years under Snyder. That's 12 more years to get to 20, which won't happened.

Art Monk, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Larry Fitzgerald have all proven that big, talented receivers can change the entire tone of an offense. In fact, that one player can be the difference in a mediocre offense and keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.

For the past two seasons it's been evident that the Washington Redskins need some size at wideout. Santana Moss, Antwaan Randel-El, and others have occasionally made big plays, but more often than not their lack of height and mass have worked against them. Santana Moss, though blazing fast and talented, stands at about 5-foot-8 with Randel El maybe an inch or two taller.

By mid-season last year the Redskins were the only NFL Team without one wideout to cross the end zone for a touchdown.

Ironically, on Nov. 11 against the Eagles the Redskins finally managed three touchdown passes to wideouts James Thrash (6-foot, 200 lbs) and Keenan McCardell (6-foot-1, 190 lbs). It seemed Gibbs and company figured it out and even acquired former Giant's receiver Anthony Mix (6-foot-5, 235 lbs).

However, the Gibbs II regime stayed true to form and acquired Mix only to stand on the sidelines and play special teams (i.e. T.J. Duckett, Reche Caldwell, and Brandon Lloyd).

When Jim Zorn was hired as an offensive coordinator and eventually (default) head coach, I was very critical of the move. In fact, the move supported the theory that Dan Snyder had no clue how to run a football team.

A couple of weeks ago, the Redskins brought in free agent wide receiver D.J. Hackett, who Zorn coached during his time as an offensive coordinator in Seattle. Zorn liked Hackett (6-foot-2, 200+ lbs) but informed him he wouldn't overpay for his services. A couple of days later Hackett signed on with Carolina for an undisclosed amount.

I have to commend Zorn for his honesty and his backbone in the situation. After all, that type of candor has been a-synonymous with Redskin coaches since Gibbs I.

Zorn spoke of Mix and his size and even alluded to increasing his playing time contingent upon his performance. Mix humbly showed his appreciation for the compliment while accepting the challenge.

"It makes me feel great that they've identified me as being someone who has the talent, so that they want to give me a chance," Mix said. "I'm not nervous at all about it. I'm excited about it. A lot of people wait for that big break; this might be my big break."

How refreshing is that for Redskin's fans? To have a guy with potential who's getting paid a minimum salary and can't wait to prove himself in conjunction with a coach who's willing to give him a try and use him to the team's advantage? Personally, it sounds better than anything I've heard in a long time coming from Redskin Park between February and September.

Of course this may not work out at all and Zorn could be a flop. However, if that's the case, at least the Redskins aren't overpaying players (so far) and appear to be focused on building through the Draft.

Even the worst case scenario should materialize a lot better than it did during the Norv Turner years when "Over The Hill" guys like Deion "Past Prime Time" Sanders and Bruce "If we played one more down I know I'd get a sack" Smith robbed the Skins blind with little production in return.

Zorn appears to be moving this team in the right direction, which might be a testament that the Redskins are on their way to more championship seasons. I'm not going to ask Tony Kornheiser to reserve a spot for me on the Bandwagon just yet, but I' can't resist being cautiously optimistic about the coming season. After all, with Jim Zorn putting guys like Anthony in the Mix (pun intended), how could a true Redskin fan not be excited?

cdubb, thanks for the hookup. How can you not be excited?? I'm such a draft geek, I'm just ecstatic with the number of way's the Redskins can improve their team.

That cat from Northern Iowa, sign me up. Guy that big moving that fast...woooooo....buges has gotta be salivating. Give me Albert in the first, and Keith in the third, and my sorry, 38 year old butt could run for 1000 yards.

Good news, dude, I rooted around the memory bank and tracked down a fellow Skins fan in San Diego. Even better news is that there's a bar in SD where upwards of 100 Skins fans watch each game. So you got that goin' for ya!

Drop me a line at nateinthepdx at gmail dot com and I'll hook you guys up.

Can anybody play? BTW I am a fourth generation native Washingtonian. I believe any team can win the SB and have players not meet statistical bench marks. I believe those are sucker bets. However, the measure of team improvement will be if Zorn is around for more than 2 years. I will take this bet if you want. Since it is the only bet of those offered that I will take, would you mind making it for $50?

So if its 4 more years we don't that takes us to 11 years. Not that close to 20 ;)

Posted by: aneesh12 | March 28, 2008 04:08 PM

Can you clear up the spelling. I'm lost?!? And do a math check while you're at it (8 + 4 = 12). What is hosting a home game got to do with anything? The 1st paragraph I copied and pasted from someone else and I was responding to that item......

While the Washington Redskins did make a playoff appearance last season, they need to make some upgrades on both sides of the football.

Players Added

Washington hasn't added any free agents thus far which is incredible since this team has spent a lot of money on free agents in the past and tried to build their club with players from other teams. In fact, some would contend no team has wasted more money and got so little in return for their investment in free agency. Could they be learning something? The fact that they have so little available money under the salary might have something to do with it.

The team added some street free agents such as RB Eric Shelton, DE Kevin Huntley, LB Rian Wallace, and CB Eddie Jackson.

Pre-Draft Team Needs

1) Defensive End - Washington's defense only posted 33 sacks (up from 2006's total of 19) and they really only have one true pass rusher in DE Andre Carter. For this defense to be solid, they have to get two good young pass rushers out of this draft.

2) Wide Receiver - WR Antwaan Randle El is best used in a No. 3 role and the team is looking for a receiver with size to play opposite top WR Santana Moss. They had visited with D.J. Hackett, a big receiver, who wound up signing with the Carolina Panthers. The team lacks depth at the position so they could probably use two solid receivers out of this year's draft.

3) Cornerback - Starting CB Shawn Springs has had his share of injury problems over the years and he's 33 years old. Their other starting corner, Carlos Rogers, is coming off of ACL surgery. Depth is an issue at this point and Springs can't be counted on from week to week.

4) Defensive Tackle - Veteran DT Cornelius Griffin turns 32 in December and while the team is high on Kedric Golston, he's not exactly proven himself yet to be a solid player.

outstanding article. I have been a skins fan for 20 years and there is no way i could think that doing things differtly, could be in any way a bad thing. it seems mr snyder has done bad in about every way possible.

I heard of the league but was more hopeful that the AFL and UFL would be the way to go, but they both folded so best of luck to the UNFL, but I have had my dreams of a real spring minor league dashed too many times.

Speaking of Vinny -- here's a snippet of his bio from the 2004 media guide:

Vice President of Football Operations
Vinny Cerrato
14th NFL Season
5th Redskins

Vinny Cerrato begins his fifth season with Washington, currently overseeing all aspects of player personnel. In his role as Vice President of Football Operations, his responsibilities include managing the Redskins draft, identifying free agency needs and acquisitions, coordination of all pro and college player evaluations, and day-to-day football operations of the organization.

Cerrato began his first tour in Washington in the summer of 1999. His first two years in Washington were busy, helping acquire future Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Deion Sanders, as well as several free agents including Irving Fryar and Mark Carrier. He orchestrated trades with the Miami Dolphins (Matt Turk) and swapped first-round draft picks with the 49ers, leading to the additions of the second and third overall picks in the 2000 NFL Draft (LB LaVar Arrington and OT Chris Samuels). Cerrato left the Redskins for the 2001 season, spending the year as an analyst for ESPN and ESPN.com. He rejoined the team in 2002 as Director of Player Personnel and was named Vice President of Football Operations in 2003.

Before coming to Washington, he spent nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers including their SuperBowl XXX year in 1994. He joined San Francisco in 1991 as Director of College Scouting, helping to draft players including Ted Washington, Ricky Watters, Dana Stubblefield and Bryant Young. In 1995, Cerrato was promoted to Director of Player Personnel, overseeing all college scouting and draft activities as well as pro scouting of NFL players and opponents. Again, Cerrato made an impact as his drafts produced such standouts as Terrell Owens, Lee Woodall and Lance Schulters.

Before breaking into the NFL, Cerrato served as the football recruiting coordinator under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame (1986-90). During that time, the Irish played in four Bowl games, won the 1988 NCAA National Championship, and had 23 players selected in the first and second rounds of the NFL Draft. Cerrato started his career as a graduate assistant for the Minnesota Golden Gophers (1983-84) before he was promoted to recruiting coordinator in 1985, a position he served one year before moving on to Notre Dame.

A 1982 graduate of Iowa State, Cerrato lettered at quarterback and wide receiver all four years...

Why did the Redskins lose to the Patriots 52-7, when the Giants beat this same team 38-35 in the Super Bowl. Considering the Skins were competitive against the Giants during the regular season, how does one account for this disparity? Is this simply about match ups?

If you believe that the true measure of a team takes place when you compete against the best, why did the Redskins get waxed by the Patriots in week 8 of 2007? That was embarrassing; getting hazed by a Pats fan at the bar where I was watching the game because I was foolish enough to suggest it would be a good one. The Pats fan looked at me and said two words:

Blow out.

What troubles me is that the Redskins have done nothing to improve their roster in the interim, while divisional rivals like the Eagles have (see Asante Samuel.)